Page 4 - MidWeek Windward - March 24, 2021

4 MARCH 24, 2021
JROTC Cleans Up At Mālaekahana State Recreation Area
The Mililani Army JROTC Trojan Battalion went to Mā- laekahana State Recreation Area in Lāʻie on March 13 to help the Division of State Parks, Department of Land and Natural Resources, and University of Hawaii protect wildlife from human-created pollution.
Hawai‘i recently has suf- fered from severe rains with nearly 50 inches of rain in a 24-hour period. The Nation- al Weather Service issued a flash flood watch until 6 p.m. on the day of the event. However, besides brown ocean water from runoff due to wet weather, the morning was pleasant with little rain and sunshine, Schiller states.
what service learning is all Mar, from the Division of possible for the JROTC. he explained the facts about about.” State Parks, Department of Mar’s “level of compas- what plastics and micro fi- Park interpretive pro- Land and Natural Resourc- sion for the wildlife and their bers do to the environment,”
gram specialist Kekai es, helped make this project habitat was demonstrated as states Rockett.
Thousands of animals, from finches to whales, die from eating and getting caught in plastic, accord- ing to retired Lt. Col. Tim- othy Schiller, senior Army instructor for the Mililani Army JROTC program.
Senior service coordinator Cadet Capt. Kaley Rockett planned this event at the be- ginning of the school year.
The Trojan mission was to help remove plastics from the beaches and get rid of invasive mangrove plants from the stream that comes out from the mountains.
“Since I am a senior, it was my last opportunity to organize this service learn- ing project with DLNR. We learned so much about the habitat of the birds and other marine animals, and giving back to the community is
Descending on Mālaekahana State Recreation Area in Lā’ie on March 13 are members of the Mililani Army JROTC Trojan Battalion. Along with the Division of State Parks, Department of Land and Natural Resources, and University of Hawai‘i, they helped protect the environment. PHOTOS COURTESY TIMOTHY SCHILLER
Cadet Capt. Kaley Rockett removes invasive plants as part of the project at Mālaekahana State Recreation Area.
Cadet Lt. Col. Tyler Busby listens to Kekai Mar of the Division of State Parks Department of Land and Natural Resources, with Cadet Capt. Dylan Pitts in back, at the cleanup of Mālaekahana State Recreation Area in Lā’ie on March 13.